@article{Song2025, 
author = {Liqiong Song and Bin Liu and Yuanming Huang and Junying Zhao and Xianping Li and Weicang Qiao and Siqin He and Hanyu Ma and Yanpin Liu and Weicheng Nie and Lijun Chen and Zhihong Ren},
title = {Potential of a yogurt enriched with synbiotics for influenza prevention and treatment},
year = {2025},
journal = {Food Science and Human Wellness},
volume = {14},
number = {10},
pages = {9250326},
keywords = {Probiotics, Prebiotics, Yogurt, Synbiotics, Influenza prevention and control},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250326},
doi = {10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250326},
abstract = {Probiotics show anti-influenza activity, offering a potential variant-resistant alternative for infection prevention and control. In this study, we evaluated whether a specially formulated yogurt enriched with synbiotics (named yogurt 1) with 7 probiotics and 6 prebiotics, has anti-influenza effects and its underlying mechanisms using a mouse model challenged with influenza virus H1N1 PR8 strain. The mice were treated with phosphate-buffered saline (negative control), yogurt matrix, yogurt 1, and oseltamivir (positive control), respectively. Yogurt 1 treatment improved the survival of infected mice (from 0% to 30%), alleviated pathological injuries in the lungs and colon, and reduced the viral load of influenza virus on day 3 and day 7 post-infection. Yogurt 1 also downregulated some inflammation-related signaling pathways and reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokines or chemokines in the lungs or serum, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC). The levels of short-chain fatty acids in the cecal content were increased, the diversity of the intestinal flora was partially restored, and influenza-specific IgG and interferon-secreting lymphocytes were enhanced following yogurt 1 administration. Thus, yogurt 1, as a commercial and easily accessible dairy product, demonstrated a notable anti-influenza effect in mice by inhibiting viral proliferation, suppressing excessive inflammatory responses, and promoting influenza virus-specific adaptive humoral and cellular immune responses, demonstrating its potential for influenza epidemic prevention and control.}
}